Rhinelander - We hear more and more about bullying in schools every day. One local Girl Scout troop saw it was becoming a problem in their school. So they did something about it.Junior Girl Scout Troop 7091 needed to do something to help the community to earn their teamwork badge. They wanted to tackle bullying."Because lots of it was going on and we just wanted to help prevent it," says Leah Shaver."It could happen at any age level. It doesn't just have to be the older kids. It can happen in kindergarten too," says Gabi Lawrey.
Together the girls wrote a screen play about a girl who is bullied. By the end of the project they had a video called "The Bully Diaries" that they could show to their younger classmates. Each troop member has had their own experiences with bullies."I know I have been bullied. It has happened since, maybe, first or second grade," says Emma Beckman."This boy in my class, he bullied this girl a lot and it kind of got me a little upset because it was going on like every day," says Shaver."I know somebody who bullies people. She... I think she knows she's bullying people," says Lawrey.The girls think they know why some kids might be scared to stand up for other kids to bullies."You always think, 'What if they come back and start bullying you'," says Lawrey.But like their video shows, getting other people to stand up to a bully with you makes it easier. And they think it's worth taking the risk."They're all human beings, and they don't deserve to be bullied," says Beckman."I'm not scared. I know that it's right. Some people think they don't want to stick up for people because they'll get made fun of too. But if it's the right thing to do they should do it," says Shaver.A lesson they hope their video teaches other kids.To watch the video, please click on the link below.